


Love is scary

by RedRaidingHood



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: High School AU, M/M, Tumblr Prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-18
Updated: 2014-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-09 10:15:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1979010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRaidingHood/pseuds/RedRaidingHood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since Jason told Nico he is bisexual, Nico avoids him. Hazel has enough, she wants to help, and Bianca really only wants her baby brother to be happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [_hiving (antmaiden)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/antmaiden/gifts).



Fine grey lines smoothed out over the heavy paper, the pencil only scratching a little at a time, and slowly, the picture came to life under Hazel’s intent gaze. She didn’t have to look up, but still did, watching her brother sit on her bed, reading comics. He was moping around in her room a lot lately, ever since his best friend Jason had confessed to being bisexual. Nico should’ve been happy, and Hazel was getting tired of telling him that, but her brother only saw that as a problem, rather than a chance for his crush to get requited.

Hazel unconsciously rolled her eyes. “Hey Nico,” she started, smiling a little, when Nico jumped like she’d caught him thinking about a certain someone rather than Captain America battling the Red Skull in the newest issue. “Can you get me my ink?”

Nico rolled on his side, stretching out on the bed rather than standing up, and grabbed for the nightstand drawer where Hazel kept her drawing materials. Of course he had to pull out pretty much everything with his lazy act, but Hazel resisted the urge to roll her eyes _again_. Nico wasn’t doing himself any favours as of lately; she didn’t really want to give him another reason to lock himself away any further. At least this time, he stayed in her room and didn’t curl up alone under his covers with the curtains closed and the only light being the flickering of his DS, like he’d done when Percy and Annabeth had started dating.

Nico finally sat up, picked out the ink, and put the other materials back with careful motions. Hazel appreciated him being thoughtful with her things, which was one of the reasons why she didn’t mind when he didn’t put her sketchbook back too. He walked over, waving the book in one hand. “Can I have a look?”

That sketchbook was one of Hazel’s favourites; it actually wasn’t so much a sketchbook as a photoalbum of all her friends, a bunch of portraits she drew and filed in a special folder. Each and every one of her friends had to go through the ordeal to sit a few hours in her room, moving as little as possible. Right now, she was drawing another portrait of Nico for just that sketchbook in fact, so she had little problems with her brother going through the folder.

When she finally finished her newest picture, Nico was sitting again on her bed, his gaze lost and Hazel instinctively knew whose portrait he was staring at.

“Can I keep that one?” He asked lowly, not even giving his sister a glance in favour of running the tips of his fingers softly over the paper.

Hazel stood, shoving the chair she’d been sitting on backwards carelessly and crossed the distance between them. Sitting on the bed next to Nico, she put an arm around him and sighed in his shoulder. “You need to talk to him, Nico. He’s your friend, he will understand.”

Nico scoffed, “Yeah, right. I’m lucky enough he’s letting himself be seen with me. There’s no way he’ll hang around the moment he knows … _that_.” He gestured awkwardly, setting the sketchbook aside. “I mean, look at me.” Nico softly pushed Hazel away to shift on the bed and face her. “I’m not what you’d call ‘handsome’, and I know that, and that’s okay and all. But Jason is … He is so much more. He’d look ridiculous with me and the others wouldn’t let him live that down.”

“That’s your only concern?” Hazel asked wide-eyed. “ _That_ is ridiculous. Jason isn’t so shallow and you guys are friends. Believe me, you’re cute. In your own way, and if Jason likes you too, he wouldn’t care about how you look. Well, he would, like … he’d like how you look and – you get the gist?”

“Not really.”

Hazel groaned, rubbing her temples. “Ok, so you think it’s about your looks, right?”

“Kind of.”

“So if you were, let’s say George Clooney, you’d ask Jason out?”

Nico laughed at that. “George Clooney is way too old, Hazel.”

“Fine,” she huffed. “Than how about Teddy Altman. You like Teddy Altman.”

The blush on his face was undeniable, so Nico rubbed his cheeks and looked anywhere but at his sister. It _was_ a bit embarrassing for his little sister to talk about his taste in fictional characters, but – plain hypothetically – if he were good-looking and strong and all that… maybe he would have a chance with Jason.

“That settles it,” Hazel beamed, tearing her brother out of his daydreams. “We’ll give you a makeover, Bianca and I. You feel comfortable with us, right? So we’re gonna make you look great, no, make you _feel_ handsome and then you’ll ask Jason out.”

“What?”

“No complaining.”

-

Bianca loved her siblings, she really did, but sometimes… they did make her worry, and most of all, Jason Grace made her worry. They shared a few classes, so Bianca knew her brother’s friend, but she didn’t actually know Jason herself, thus she did not quite know what to think when Nico had told her of his crush. Nico was a good kid, a little naïve and clumsy, but he had a big heart. And Bianca would punish anyone who broke that heart or took advantage of Nico’s naivete, because that is what big sisters do, and now she had Jason Grace to worry about.

She studied his broad back in the seat in front of her. He was looking good, so Nico was safe in that department, but as of now, Bianca would still have to decide on the really important stuff – like whether or not Jason Grace was _worthy_ of her baby brother.

_So what do you say?_ , was what Hazel’s last message said. Doing a make-over for Nico… well, that wasn’t a problem actually; Bianca liked fussing over Nico, but the real question still was whether or not Jason would appreciate her brother like he should. Pulling out her phone under the table, Bianca finally answered her step-sister.

_We will do it. I want to see Grace’s reaction to Nico before and after though. If it is just about the looks, I will hit Grace with a chair._

So that settled it. She needed to watch Jason Grace, needed to see what this man was made of, what he did and said to Nico – and behind his back.

-

Alright, this was ridiculous. He didn’t want Hazel and Bianca to play dress-doll with him, but … they might be right. Maybe if he’d look anything like Piper, Jason wouldn’t be talking to her right now. Yeah right. But being a boy now wasn’t a problem anymore, was it? Nico blushed and buried his face in his hands, trying to ignore the stares from his friends who were sitting at the table with him.

“Hey, Nico, Wednesday is comic-day, isn’t it?”

_Oh please…_

Nico looked up, practically glaring at the boy sitting next to him, but Percy kept smiling. A year ago, this would’ve been enough for Nico to lose his nerves and start to blush and stutter, but now all it did was annoy him as Percy kept on telling the others how Nico would pick up his subscribed comics every Wednesday after school and look for new releases. He really shouldn’t have told Percy that, but he had tried to find an excuse to spend time with him, calling it a ‘date’ in his own head. Now, he’d kick his younger self if he could.

“So afterwards, you’ll have time, don’t you?” Percy finished, nudging Nico with his elbow.

Groaning, Nico leaned back in his seat. “No, I don’t. I’ve already got plans with my sisters, so no.”

“Your sisters?” Annabeth inquired. She and Bianca shared a few classes and she’d noticed the other girl being unusually distracted today.

“Yeah, my sisters.” Nico looked at her like she was an idiot. She wasn’t, both of them knew that, but the question really seemed dumb to Nico; he’d just _said_ he’d had plans with his sisters, hadn’t he? No need to repeat that.

Annabeth had noticed Bianca’s eyes though. She had seen how intently the girl had observed Nico’s best friend and… well, Nico’s crush was pretty obvious, so all this could mean was that Nico had either already acted on it and Jason had rejected him, thus resulting in the glare Bianca was giving Jason, or… something else was up. Something that had to do with Nico’s unusual change of plans on comic-day. And Annabeth might just have an idea what this was about. A smile made it to her face when she saw Jason finally gracing them with his presence.

“Hey, sorry to have made you guys wait,” he told them apologetically and sat down in his regular place opposite Nico who was refusing to look up.

Of course Jason would look great rubbing his neck sheepishly and grinning. Nico tried to sink deeper into his seat, wishing for the ground to open up under him and… Nico jerked up when he felt Jason’s legs brushing against his under the table, instinctively pulling his feet away.

“Sorry,” Jason said, but Nico had now finally looked at him, his ears starting to burn. If only Jason had never told him… Small touches like that had been normal between them, and Nico had quietly revelled in them – until now. Since now they could _mean_ something, could be a suggestion, a little preview of what Nico could have – in another dimension.

“Hey, um.” Jason leaned over the table, his eyes never leaving Nico’s. “Today’s comic-day, isn’t it?”

Nico really wanted to hit Percy. How come everyone seemed to know that now? Honestly, it was a small miracle Greg and the other idiots that tried to bully Nico hadn’t been waiting on him in front of Cosmic Comics by now. Nico felt nauseous at that thought – that and Jason’s full attention being on him. Jason was his best friend, of course he knew about his Wednesday-routine; he’d accompanied him a few times even. Nico finally nodded, digging his hands in the stretchy material of his pants.

“Great,” Jason beamed and, oh god, Nico couldn’t take his eyes of that smile. A warm feeling spread through his chest; Jason was smiling at him, and only at him and that in itself was better than any comic-day could ever be. “So, how about fetching take-out afterwards and watching some movies at my place?” Was Jason asking him on a date? No, this couldn’t be a date, just movies and take-out and getting to stay at Jason’s side the whole day? Nico’s heart skipped a beat and his face burned. He probably looked like a tomato, but he didn’t care, he didn’t care that everyone could see him smiling and melting a little at the fond gaze Jason sent him. “My Mom’s gone till tomorrow, so-”

“- Ah, but Nico already had plans with his sisters!”

Both of them jerked up, looking at Percy; _glaring_ at Percy in Nico’s case. He’d have a chance to be with Jason just a little bit longer and here Percy Jackson was, being the big, oblivious dork he was. With a sinking heart, he watched Jason cross his arms and leaning back. “Oh, alright, sorry.”

Nico felt like crying. Jason looked hurt and Nico had really wanted to say yes, had wanted to be with Jason even if it meant sitting as far away from his best friend on the couch while watching movies and talking and longing for that charming smile and his touch and… yeah.

-

Bianca ran her fingers through his hair, massaging the strange stuff into his skull that apparently would do … something she had told him, but Nico could care less. He still liked her fussing over him though, so he kept complaining instead of actually standing up and walking away. Hazel was rummaging through his wardrobe and all Nico could do was sit and let them. Maybe it would work, who knows? And he did trust his sisters. Bianca moved her hands to his neck, leaning forward and embracing him from behind. “Hey Nico,” she started when he put a hand over hers, leaning into the touch. “You really like Jason, don’t you?”

Did he like Jason? Well, yeah, he did. Jason was great and he’d been there for Nico a lot; there wasn’t much Nico kept secret from him and he suspected he knew more of Jason’s secrets than anyone else. And he got the tell-tale signs: accelerated heartbeat, sweaty palms, not being able to think straight, daydreaming… yeah, he was pretty sure he liked Jason. Like a lot. Like ‘I really wanna hold hands with him’ and ‘I think I would die happily, could I fall asleep in his arms’ _like_. Or even just being allowed to be close, to see Jason every day, do grocery shopping or eat breakfast together.

“Yeah,” Nico sighed. “Definitely.”

“Good,” his sister replied, drawing back and ruffling his hair before straightening it again with soothing motions. “I hope he knows he’s out of your league though.”

“What?” Nico almost laughed at the teasing tone in his sister’s voice. He looked back only to get a big grin in return. Bianca gestured with her brush for him to turn around again when Hazel finally walked over, a bunch of clothes thrown over her arm.

“Alright, enough with the grooming!” Hazel smiled. “Try these on.”

Bianca patted Nico’s shoulders one last time, before pushing him from his chair to get his newest outfit from Hazel.

“Don’t look so disapproving,” Bianca chided, joining her siblings in examining the clothes Hazel had chosen. “Just because there’s no Red Witch shirt or something.”

“Scarlet Witch,” Nico mumbled instantly, no really caring, just correcting her out of habit. Hazel was great with colour-combinations and she probably had to have some kind of magic too, finding that many colourful clothes in Nico’s wardrobe without some dorky logo or anything on it. Somehow she had done what he tried and failed to do every day: Get himself dressed decently with just the things in his possession. He loved his sister even more, when he saw that she at least had left him some of the skull stuff he liked, choosing to include a black-and-white skull scarf in the outfit. Nico had to usher his sisters out of his room to get changed though, which resulted in stupid girly giggling and teasing from behind the closed door.

Right when he pulled the shirt over his head, their doorbell rung. That in itself was something rather unusual this late, but Bianca would take care of that, so Nico chose to ignore it for now and just ask his sister later.

Hazel did have a good eye for clothes… but apparently not for seize, Nico thought as he tried to get into the pants she had chosen. Of course, they were the one skinny pair he had and of course they would go perfectly with the shirt and cardigan she had picked. And the scarf. Nico couldn’t stop loving that scarf even if he felt a little ridiculous liking an accessory that much, but it had belonged to his mother and just thinking that she had the same infatuation with skull-motives as her son had, made Nico feel somehow still connected, even though he barely remembered her.

“Hey Nico,” Hazel said, knocking softly while defeating its whole purpose by opening the door at the same time. She gave him an approving look before nodding in the direction of the stairs. “Can you come down for a moment? It’s Jason.”

-

Bianca watched their guest with hardly concealed interest. Jason Grace was Nico’s friend, so he had indeed been to their house quite a few times but he still seemed to fidget awkwardly as if he didn’t really feel comfortable sitting here in the living room with her, waiting for Nico. He looked around the room, sitting right on the edge of the couch rather than leaning back. Bianca refused to take her eyes off him, when he heard someone coming down on the stairs. It had to be her siblings – Nico in particular and given the time he’d had, he was wearing the new outfit Hazel had picked for him. Bianca needed to watch Jason’s reaction to seeing her younger brother like that for the first time. She really needed to watch him, watch the changes in his behaviour, notice the little shiver, the wide-eyed look, the clenched fists and his mouth falling open just a little and all that made Bianca smile. Well, Jason Grace did have great looks, but from what she had just observed, he also had non-existent acting skills. Jason apparently noticed what he was doing and wiped his palms on his pants, looking at his shoes for a moment, before taking a breath and looking up at Nico again. “Hey,” was all he said and Bianca knew she would at least give him a chance – if he treated Nico nicely.

And yes, Nico did look cute. He always looked cute and maybe Bianca was biased, but she had practically raised the boy, so she was allowed. Still, Jason Grace was as old as her, and Nico wasn’t; it really wasn’t that much of a difference in age, so Bianca didn’t actually have to worry about her baby brother being taken advantage of, but… she still did. She couldn’t help it.

“Hey Jason,” Nico answered, getting closer and sitting down on the couch next to him. Close, but with a good distance between them. Bianca crossed her legs and leaned back. Nico was obviously nervous, not feeling comfortable with his unusual appearance, probably wanting to tousle his hair to its normal mess and wishing to vanish in the scarf around his neck. He was beet-red and Bianca smiled fondly while watching him grab his hands as not to gesture too much as he was prone to when agitated.

Hazel laid a hand on her shoulder, pushing her a little. She was right. They should give Nico some space with his friend – but that didn’t mean Bianca wouldn’t watch Jason closely.

-

“So, what’s up?” Nico dared to ask. Obviously meaning “Why the heck are you in my living room in the evening when you know I got plans?”

Jason rubbed his neck sheepishly, looking away for a moment, before his eyes rested on Nico again. “You look great,” he said without thinking, making Nico blush even harder.

“Thanks.” His heart beat drummed in his ears and Nico wasn’t sure he had been sitting so close to Jason before, but he really didn’t mind. He didn’t mind the warmth that spread in his body either or the tingling sensation that felt like electricity running though him. Jason was here and he was close and he had complimented him. Nico leaned a little closer, just a little, feeling Jason’s body heat already and smelling his aftershave. Jason seemed always clean-shaven, never a hint of stubble on his strong, angular jaw. It was kind of fascinating really.

“So um… yeah.”

“Yeah.”

He didn’t even really mind their extremely intelligent conversation; he could’ve listened to Jason for ages, but apparently Jason didn’t quite feel so comfortable with stuttering around. He turned on the sofa to face Nico, one arm slung over its back, nearly brushing Nico’s cheek. He leaned closer too and they certainly didn’t sit as far away from each other as they had at the beginning. “How was comic-day?”

Nico couldn’t suppress a smile, both of them falling into their normal closeness again, like nothing ever happened, like Jason hadn’t told him he liked guys too and like Nico never wore anything than his normal attire.

In the end, when Jason had left, Nico hadn’t found out why his friend had come over, but he definitely was happy he did.

-

Until he was back at school the next day, dressed like he always did and feeling rather stupid, like Jason had caught him in a some kind of costume. He really didn’t want to explain that. He really didn’t. And he didn’t have to. He had avoided Jason for a few weeks already, so now would be no problem, right? He just had to act like he had when he’d found out. Well, and it still _did_ matter anyway. Nothing had in fact changed and Jason still was bisexual and Nico still had the biggest crush on his best friend.

So when Jason came to sit opposite of Nico again at lunch, the younger wasn’t there. Jason asked around and none knew where Nico was, but everyone was sure they had seen him today already. Everyone but Jason. Which was ridiculous, they were best friends and Jason had hoped Nico would act normal around him again after his visit yesterday. He regretted telling Nico his secret. Well, it wasn’t really a secret, it was just something, Jason himself had come to terms with only shortly. He had hoped to hint at Nico being the one that made him realize he wasn’t quite as straight as everyone thought by telling him he was bisexual. He obviously had rather spooked Nico though, and he didn’t know why and Nico didn’t talk to him any more and Nico hardly answered his messaged any more or hung out with him, he shied away from every touch and, more than anything, he didn’t let Jason see him. It hurt. More than Jason would’ve thought, but it still hurt and regret gnawed at his heart every minute since. He really liked Nico and he had been thinking that maybe… he had a chance his feelings were reciprocated.

Jason sighed, running a hand through his hair. He just couldn’t get a hold of Nico, and yesterday now felt like torture. Finally, finally he had been able to be close again, had been able to see and feel and touch Nico and now… no Nico anywhere. Jason grit his teeth, throwing his bag on the ground and slumping in his chair, head in his hands. He felt miserable. It wasn’t fair, really. Why did Nico let him get this close again only to vanish the next day? Why did he have to look so good then? Like he’d show off; show off just on last time what Jason could never have. Shit. He wasn’t going to cry, he needed to get a grip before this stupid class started; he had to focus on breathing, and every intake and exhale hurt.

A warm hand found his shoulder, and in one, crazy moment, he thought the person he saw next to him out of the corner of his eyes, was Nico.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Bianca. Bianca di Angelo. Jason’s breath hitched. There still was a chance. He couldn’t give up, not now, not after he had finally been so close to Nico again.

“Can we talk after class?” He pressed out of his aching lungs, grabbing her hand firmly. She blinked. Bianca never was one to speak out in class, but she was a great observer, and Jason was sure after yesterday, she surely knew already what it was he wanted to talk about. Her hand squeezed his and she smiled. Her smile was beautiful and caring, and so, so similar to Nico’s.

-

When Hazel stormed out of her art-class, she only smiled apologetically at her favourite teacher, her current mission too important, too exciting. Bianca had sent her a message to meet up, since apparently _Jason Grace_ wanted to talk to them about Nico. If it hadn’t been obvious yesterday just how lovestruck the older was, this was more than Hazel needed to give him a chance. It was sweet, and Nico really should talk to him. They would be good for each other. They had already been good for each other, being best friends and all, and Hazel still didn’t understand why Nico felt he needed to distance himself when both of them were so obviously head-over-heels in love.

She ran thought the corridors with a big smile on her face, not caring for the shouts she got. Jason Grace was gonna confess – at least to them. At least that’s what Hazel wanted and expected him to do. It felt exhilarating just knowing how happy Nico was going to be.

Bianca and Jason already waited for her behind the gym, both of them talking awkwardly about their shared class. Unlike Hazel, Bianca hadn’t really talked to Jason alone and it looked a little painful how they grabbed for any topic that wasn’t the weather – or Nico, yet.

“So hey, I’m here, we can start with the tear-jerking confessions.” She smiled. The others blinked at her, one blanching, the other blushing. Her smile grew even wider. Right to the point and yes, she did enjoy that.

Jason cleared his throat, speaking to Hazel more so than to Bianca. “Well, I… I guess you kinda _guessed_ what, yeah, what I wanted to talk about. Or rather who.”

“I didn’t ‘guess’, Jason. There was no need to guess.”

He shrunk back a little, blushing harder and crossing his arms in front of him. “Does he know?” He couldn’t look at her, couldn’t stop the anxiety showing in his every move. Hazel found it endearing, but apparently Bianca did not.

“What do you think? Have you actually _told_ him? How could he know for sure?” She spat, her tone more accusing than needed. Hazel knew and loved her sister, but she could get a bit overprotective sometimes. She had been watching the boys yesterday too, she had seen how happy Jason made Nico. But Bianca wanted to make sure their happiness wasn’t short-lived, didn’t lead to a few stupid moments that would only bear regret afterwards.

“No,” Jason confessed, his demeanour changing to ward off Bianca’s opposition. He took a deep breath, steeling himself to tell them “I wanted to. Yesterday. But I forgot. I was just so happy, I forgot and I know that sounds dumb, but… yeah.”

Both girls exchanged a look. Jason sounded confident, sounded like he’d actually meant that. Bianca’s eyes softened a little and Hazel shoved her hands behind the bib of her dungarees. “Well, maybe you should try again,” she said, startling Jason who had obviously expected to be chewed out by the girls first, before begging for their help. He didn’t need to.

“What about Saturday?” Bianca chipped in. “You could take him out for coffee at, let’s say two o’clock? - But he has to be back home for dinner.” She added a little more sternly.

-

The air was a little chilly, not too cold to bother Nico with his scarf and cardigan though, but Bianca didn’t actually seem dressed for the weather. He took her hand, hooking their arms together and felt content when she gifted him with a thankful smile at his actions. They were close, had always been close and Nico revelled in her presence, ignoring everything else and most of all trying to forget about Jason. He had been able to avoid his friend the last two days again, but knowing Jason, he’d soon be waiting for Nico at his usual places. He’d been a big part of Nico’s life already and cutting him out of it meant a lot of adjustments. And Nico didn’t actually want to change anything, but he had to. Because everything had already changed. He could actually have a chance with Jason, could actually, for once, have his feelings reciprocated, and that scared Nico more than anything. He loved Jason, and he didn’t want to hurt him, to lose him, but he just couldn’t be close to him anymore, not when every second they got closer, every word they talked more, understood each other better, scared him.

Bianca squeezed his hand, tearing him out of his thoughts, back to the here-and-now. She was beautiful, she looked a lot like their mother and he really loved her. Just for her, he’d put on that stupid outfit again, had let her brush his hair for hours and fuss over him like the mother-hen she could be. If she wanted him to go with her to this tiny hipster-café she so much liked, who would he be to deny her? He didn’t mind. The day was nice and Bianca’s hand in his was getting warmer as they crossed the street and got into the small back-alley the café was situated.

They sat down at the tiny table and Nico wondered if they even had cake. The table was just so small, there was no way more than two dishes could sit there without knocking everything else off. But the chairs looked cozy and more so the couches so Nico did his best not to embarrass Bianca too much, but still got comfortably slouching on one of them. The café was arranged to feel like a big living room with many different, tiny coffee-tables and chairs and all kinds of cushions and padded furniture. The walls were hung with some wallpaper grandmothers would be fond of and everywhere hung the smell of fresh coffee. Nico took a look around and grinned at his sister while stage-whispering “Hipster.” at her.

Bianca pulled her green beanie off and just shook her head fondly. They didn’t need to wait long before a waiter was at their table, taking their orders. And it didn’t take long for Bianca to raise an eyebrow while looking at the door either. She took a big gulp of her coffee and set the almost-empty cup on it’s saucer with an air of finality. Nico watched her, confusion starting to built in his stomach.

“You’re late.” Bianca finally said her eyes trained on someone behind her brother, so Nico turned and came face-to-chest with -

\- “Jason!”

Bianca’s hand on his shoulder forced Nico to stay seated while she stood, decreasing the distance between her and Jason to inches. “If you hurt him, I’ll hunt you down.” And then she just left. Left Nico with a beating heart and a confused brain and only one thought.

_Jason_.

The couch dipped down next to Nico under the added weight and he had do righten himself, not to lean on Jason in its effect. They sat close, since the couch wasn’t all that big and Jason could’ve chosen Bianca’s chair or anywhere else, but he chose to sit next to Nico, chose to be close so Nico didn’t have a chance to vanish again. Then he turned, his arm slung over the back and Nico felt the skin on Jason’s fingertips brush against his cheek just for a moment. But it was enough of a contact for Nico to long for more and he had to bit his cheek to get his brain to work again.

“What are you doing here, Jason?”

He had dressed up too, Nico noted. Jason didn’t have to dress up to look great, but he still had. And Bianca had – had she waited for Jason to show up? Had she asked Nico to come here so he couldn’t avoid Jason any longer?

Jason gripped the hem of his sleeve, keeping his eyes on Nico. “I kind of – I wanted -” he cleared his throat, his ears starting to burn. He was really not doing a great job and Nico was right here and his sisters did know what was happening and they would ask Nico later and Jason _had_ to confess now, he just had to, because now was the only, the last chance he’d get to tell Nico how he felt. He clenched his hand behind the couch and took another breath. Nico watched him expectantly and just like yesterday it felt right. Yes, he could do that. He could tell Nico that he had the most embarrassing crush on him, that he wanted nothing more than to hold his hand and kiss its knuckles and to read him books and fall asleep in Nico’s arms.

“What can I bring you, sir?”

Nico laughed. Nico actually laughed at the defeated face Jason wore when the waiter asked him for his order. It was just so funny, and at the same time, something inside Nico snapped, the awkwardness of Jason’s sudden appearance vanishing and well, this was Jason, wasn’t it? This was the big dork that had never read an issue of Captain America until Nico forced him to, and still preferred the Hulk, the stupid boy that had told Nico Percy was a blind goober for not looking at Nico the way he’d wanted to be looked at and he was the same, beautiful person Nico called his best friend.

Jason finished talking with the waiter and turned back to Nico, his face red and burning and his voice quivering. “Oh, come on! It wasn’t that funny.”

“Stop whining,” Nico told him, wiping a tear from his eye. “You were all ‘Hey look, I’m a big man, making a big announcement’” He tried to imitate Jason’s voice but it came out much too deep. “And then you’re just, like, deflating and flailing and yes, I was funny.”

Jason couldn’t help himself when Nico was this adorable, he smiled, leaning in and scooting just a little bit closer. Nico didn’t seem to mind, he kept smiling at him, this happy little smile that made Jason’s heart skip a beat. They were best friends and maybe it was wrong to want more, but when Nico teased him, when he looked at him with that fondness in his eyes, Jason would’ve given everything just to be allowed to steal a kiss. Just a quick brush on his lips, just a soft touch.

Maybe Nico knew, maybe he didn’t need to tell him even. Jason’s heart pounded against his chest and maybe Nico could hear that, or maybe he really just knew.

“Hey Jason,” he said, his eyes never leaving, but the happiness in them being replaced by something else, something… sadder. “I think I know why my sisters think you’re here.”

Jason gulped. There was just so much uncertainty in Nico’s voice; he wished the happy tone back, wished to lift his arm from behind the couch and wrap it around Nico’s shoulders, pulling him closer and make him sound everything but uncertain and hesitant.

“And I know what I hope. What I wish for, but I don’t _know_ why you’re here.”

Jason knew _he_ wished the words came as easy to him as they seemed to come to Nico, to his whole family actually. But they didn’t. He was clumsy with words and actions, especially around Nico and the only thing he could respond with was an acknowledging hum.

How did they do it? How did everyone else look at the person they loved and just said it with confidence and all that? Jason just felt overwhelmed by Nico’s closeness, they were in public, even more so than yesterday, but Jason couldn’t see anyone else but Nico, couldn’t even think although he definitely needed to think to put all this into words, to put his longing and his wishes into words Nico could understand and hopefully reciprocate.

“I’m scared,” Nico confessed, stopping all of Jason’s attempts to speak. “What if I fuck this up? What if you realize you could do so much better than me, deserve so much better, but-”

It was easy. After how hard it had been to even _try_ to put his feelings into words, putting them into action was easy for Jason. He’d leaned in and done just what he had wanted to do; he’d wrapped his hand around Nico’s neck tangling his fingers in his hair and kissing him. Just like he’d wanted to do yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that, and a lot of days before that too.

He didn’t want to fuck this up, didn’t want to lose Nico either, but if anything, Nico was better than he deserved and Jason wasn’t one to question his luck.

They broke off too quick. They were in public and Nico hadn’t stopped speaking. He scowled at Jason, but didn’t brush the arm around his shoulder off. He wanted to speak, no doubt grouching about how unfair it was for Jason to stop him mid-sentence like that, but there were words on Jason’s tongue that needed to be spoken too, and hey, they actually came quite easy now.

“I like you. I really like you, Nico.”

“Like ‘ _like_ like’?

Both of them stared at each other for a moment before giggling like ten-year-olds at the ineloquent sentence. Jason headbutted him softly, keeping their foreheads together. “Yes, like ‘ _like_ like’”

“I’m still scared, Jason,” Nico admitted, but the smile didn’t leave his features. “But I think I ‘ _like_ like’ you too.”

-

Bianca shoved Hazel’s shoulder just a little. “I think we should go. I really think we should go now.”

Her sister turned and slapped her cheeks, blushing and grinning. “Oh my God, Bianca, I think that really worked!”

“Yeah, I think so too.” She could see her brother and Jason Grace from the table Hazel had reserved for them earlier. Their plan had actually worked and Bianca didn’t think she had to slap Jason upside the head just yet. Not with Nico looking so happy and open and yes, maybe Jason Grace could do just that. Could make Nico feel loved. Maybe Jason Grace was worthy of her baby brother.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas is just around the corner~

There were a few new shirts on the rack this time. The Flash one was new, although it was just the standard red hoodie with the yellow flash on it. It would look good on Jason, Nico concluded, already reaching for the tag absentmindedly to have a look at the size, when his gaze fell on the letters Jason had drawn in black sharpie on his hand earlier during lunch. It was incredibly corny and stupid and Nico loved both, the Q and the T sprawled in Jason’s edgy font.

Jason.

His boyfriend.

Nico’s hand fell back to his side. He couldn’t just buy the same stuff, he always bought; this year, Jason’s Christmas present had to be special, they weren’t just best friends anymore, were they? They were best _boy_ friends and Nico would be damned if he couldn’t find something special to celebrate that. With new determination, he looked up just in time to see Jason’s head whip around, his cheeks stained red and his attention now completely on the old Spiderman-cutout Cosmic Comix still kept around although it had been vandalized a few times already. Nico’s favourite was the moustache Hazel had drawn once. They had had a discussion afterwards on how facial hair could pop out of the mask and Hazel insisted they’d try it out – resulting in three weeks of no shaving until their older sister stopped the silliness.

Nico rubbed his cheek and shook his head. Jason looked still so out of place in the comic book store, gazing the covers with a raised eyebrow and that mix of amused incomprehension and boredom on his face. With a small smile, Nico decided to put his boyfriend out of this misery.

“Hey there, Superman.” he put a hand on Jason’s arm and his chest started to tingle the moment he could feel the heat under his fingertips. “I’m done here. Let me just get my subscriptions and then we can go get something to eat. If you still want to, that is…”

Jason actually beamed at him and nodded happily, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Yes, sure. Let’s get out of here.”

Rolling his eyes at the eager tone in his boyfriend’s voice, Nico headed to the counter a little miffed. It wasn’t like Jason didn’t show any interest in his hobbies, but it was just a little too clear he didn’t get Nico’s fascination with comics at all.

-

Jason watched Nico pay for his comics with a frown on his face. He had been lucky and the cashier obviously wasn’t the same who had spent an awful hour explaining Jason exactly which storyline was the best, what differences the new DC universe and the old DC universe had, why there was more than one universe, how there could be more than one author and why the Joker looked different in this issue although he looked like _that_ in the other issue. The poor girl had nerves of steel, Jason had to give her that. And Nico was worth the torture of learning to differentiate between the Robins. He smiled when he held the door for Nico, both of them walking in silence through the city to their usual burger place.

It was getting colder every day now, drawing closer to Christmas. Nico held his hands in front of his face and blew on them, rubbing them together for warmth and Jason could see his breath escape his lips in a tiny cloud. He didn’t stop to ask, pulling the zipper of his jacket down and scrambling to get out of it, before Nico’s voice interrupted him.

“Dude, you might be hot, but you’ll still catch a cold without your jacket.” Nico stopped to lay a hand on Jason’s arm. He could feel a new kind of warmth invade his body from where Nico’s hand touched him; and in all honesty, if Nico kept talking about him being hot and touching him and giving him that mischievous look, Jason was sure he could deal with subzero temperatures just fine.

“Don’t pretend,” Nico scolded, his eyes downcast, his hands busying themselves with Jason’s jacket, pulling the zipper up again. They were shaking a little and Jason couldn’t stop himself from taking them in his own hands and smile like an idiot.

It still felt so incredible, made him so unbelievably happy, because he was allowed. He was allowed to touch Nico di Angelo, to just take his hands whenever he felt like it. Nico was probably just a nervous as him, but he still tried to play it cool; Jason really couldn’t help crushing on this boy all over again.

He let his boyfriend fuss over him and only bit his lip to keep himself from actually laughing happily, when Nico entangled their fingers and stuffed them inside the pocket of his own jacket.

Jason didn’t stop grinning until they got to the burger place and had to separate; his hand feeling just a little clammy and too cold without Nico’s thumb absentmindedly stroking his knuckles. It was a shame they had to let go to eat. It was a shame they hadn’t gotten home to eat while cuddling on the couch – not that Jason would have had the courage to suggest that, but he did think about cuddling Nico a lot lately.

“So, any plans for Christmas?” Jason not-so-subtly interrupted a long-winded lecture about what kind of the different methods superheroes apparently used to fly and Nico stopped in mid-sentence. He looked adorable like that, his mouth still open, his eyebrows raised and ketchup on his cheek. Jason couldn’t help but wish to reach for his face, so he did the logical thing and sat down on his hands, aggressively slurping his milkshake while looking anywhere but at his boyfriend. Well, that went great.

“Actually,” Nico started. There was something in his voice, something that told Jason that he was smiling that incredible genuine smile he loved, and wanting to see that smile overruled every prior embarrassment. “My Dad’s coming home for Christmas.”

Jason’s heart beat a little faster. Nico’s dad was a busy lawyer, living in luxurious hotels close to his rich clients most of the time; him coming home for Christmas made Nico happy, so naturally, Jason couldn’t help but smile.

-

“Right, and you are here, discussing this with _me_ instead of Nico, for what reason exactly?” Bianca sipped her Earl Grey feeling maybe a little too smug about the situation. Jason was actually fidgeting in front of her, asking for her family’s plans for the holidays, because he didn’t want them to interfere with his own plans. With Nico. Which was adorable, but she hid her smile behind the rim of her cup, not letting Jason relax under her gaze.

“Aw, c’mon,” he whined. “It’s a surprise ok?” Jason was probably not even aware of the huge grin he was wearing, flailing his arms about like an excited kid. “Just an evening after you’re done with your family-business and I’ll even get him home before curfew.”

Bianca put her tea down on the coffee table and shook her head. She was really happy Jason was trying to do something nice, something special for Christmas, but she wasn’t quite comfortable to let him take Nico out at night.

“I don’t care. He promised,” Nico bellowed upstairs, stomping along the floor and slamming a door.

Bianca only raised an eyebrow, still fixing Jason in place. Whatever was going on up there, Hazel would take care of it as her hurried footsteps indicated.

“So, what have you planned, Jason?”

“Shouldn’t we… I mean…” He gestured to the stairs with a wary expression on his face. It was obvious he wanted nothing more than jump to his feet and run after Nico, but Bianca’s gaze held him in place.

She narrowed her eyes, her voice dropping a few octaves. “What have you planned with my baby brother, Jason?”

“Bianca, that’s really not something I want to tell his mom.”

That shut her up. Both of them were staring at each other, blushing and horrified.

“Did I really just say that?”

“I wish you hadn’t.”

“Can we pretend I didn’t?”

“I wish we could.”

Jason put a hand over his eyes, breathing deliberately a few times. “But you won’t let me live this down, will you?”

Hazel’s hurried footsteps saved them from having to talk any longer about Jason’s mishap. She looked distressed, her hands balled to fists before she shoved them behind the bib of her dungarees. “Bee, can you talk to him?”

Jason leaned forward in his seat, Bianca’s attention now on her sister. “What happened?” He asked, concern clear in his voice. No matter how much Bianca had been grilling him just a second ago, Nico was his best friend and more, there was no way in hell he wouldn’t do whatever he could if something was wrong with his boyfriend.

Hazel bend her knees, bobbing up and down impatiently. “He’s not singing with me anymore.”

Jason gazed at Bianca, hoping to get a translation. She waved her hands in the air and huffed a little irritated. “Ever since they’ve seen this movie, they can’t stop singing that ghost-song. It’s cute, and it makes Nico happy. Normally.”

“It’s ‘Little Ghost’ and it works,” Hazel cut in. “He’s not telling me every time what upsets him, but he likes it when I sing to him.”

Bianca rubbed her temples. “ So what has happened, Hazel?”

“Dad forbid him to go to the tournament. He should think about his future and stuff.”

 _Ouch_.

Hazel slouched down on the couch next to her sister, deflating. “And Dad can’t make it home this year either.”

_Double ouch._

Bianca was obviously keeping it together only by sheer force of will and Jason couldn’t help but feel out of place right now. She never showed weakness in front of him, tried to be intimidating and authoritative and most of the time, she was. Times like this were rare, and she was fighting with herself not to let that mask down. She needed to be strict, needed to replace the adult that was normally at home, doing those things like caring about her siblings and interrogating their boyfriends to keep her loved ones safe. But she still was a child herself, Jason’s age, and her Dad had just broken his promise to come back to celebrate Christmas with his family.

Jason stood up, meeting her gaze. “I’m gonna talk to him,” he said gruffly and just for a moment, she looked at him grateful; grateful for caring about her brother, grateful for giving her the time to get her adult-act back together without mentioning it.

Walking up the stairs wasn’t something Jason had never done. In fact he’d done it a thousand times and more already, still, it always felt special being let into Nico’s room. They’d usually meet at Jason’s place, hung out at coffee shops and burger places and school; but sometimes, Nico let him take those stairs that eventually led to a wooden door, expensive like most of the furniture, but stained with the remains of glue where stickers had stuck some time ago and a small strip of tape in one corner that had held up a Frankenweenie poster Nico had ripped off in a fit.

Jason didn’t try to turn the knob; Nico always locked his door, locking himself in and everyone else out and Jason never knew which one was more important.

“Nico, you’re alright?” he asked after knocking. It was a stupid question, but he really wanted an answer. He had to wait though, then he heard rustling inside the room like Nico was starting some last-minute clean-up, shoving stuff under his bed.

“Jason? What are you doing here?” His voice was dulled through the door, but Jason could still hear the misery in it and felt bad at once. Maybe Nico really didn’t want to see him now. Nico always vanished when something happened, gods, he had tried to avoid Jason just because he had realized he had a chance with him, and it had taken both his sisters to make him face Jason again. What _was_ he doing here?

_Asking your sister/mom to take you out on a date._

_Getting Bianca’s approval to be together with you._

_Because I want to surprise you without making you have to chose between your family and me._

“Making sure you’re ok.”

“Well I am. Now go away.”

“Nico, don’t be like that.” Jason laid his hand on the door knob. He didn’t want to invade Nico’s privacy, but he sounded so miserable it hurt Jason’s heart. His boyfriend needed a hug and he really wanted to give him one, but with the door separating them from each other, it felt like they were miles between them.

“Just… just go away, Jason.”

“Dude, you Dad’s an asshole. I’ll sneak you out, ok? We’ll go to that tournament together and no one needs to know.” He tried to open the door, but yeah, just like he’d thought, Nico had actually locked himself away again. At least, Nico seemed to move around and Jason was pretty sure the sound he’d just heard was a stifled laughter.

“He’s no asshole, he’s just…”

“Busy,” Jason suggested. He leaned his forehead against the expensive wood and sighed. At least he’d gotten Nico to talk to him; but he still wanted to see him. He really wanted to see Nico right now, and possibly tomorrow too, and the day after that and - “I’m not.”

Jason heard the sound of something softly knocking against the door from the other side and Nico’s voice seemed a lot closer now. “Jason.”

It was just his name, but it still made him happy to hear it from Nico’s lips. “I mean it. I haven’t anything else to do on Christmas,” he added, staring at the door like he could see Nico through it. “I’m not busy. No family and stuff, so if you’d want to… I-I mean I know you got Bianca and Hazel but I could… come here?”

“I’d like that.”

The only thing Jason perceived was the blood rushing through his ears. Christmas. They were talking about the day Nico had wanted to spend with his family, with his Dad. For a moment, Jason felt like he’d crossed a line, boldly and stupidly, but the silence didn’t feel bad and was broken by Nico turning the key and stepping back from the door, leaving Jason to enter if he wanted to.

He really liked that guy. _Really_ liked him. Nico had the habit of burying himself in his room, his sanctum, when he felt the world crumbling around him. He didn’t tell anyone, didn’t let anyone in until he felt better. But this time, he gave Jason the opportunity to choose whether he wanted to be with Nico in his seclusion and there was nothing Jason wanted more. He opened the door carefully, stepping inside the dark.

Nico sat on his bed, the covers tightly wrapped around him and his eyes downcast. He didn’t look up until Jason crouched right in front of him, a hand on his knees. Their eyes met and he chuckled dryly when he saw the concern in Jason’s eyes. “Welcome to the Fortress of Solitude.”

-

Christmas dinner was great. Bianca hadn’t been smiling so brightly for a long time, always worrying and being the adult, but now she was happy and celebrating and Nico was pretty sure she was laughing even louder than Hazel. His eyes moved to look fondly at that stupid, wonderful jerk who was responsible for the siblings’ happiness. Jason. His _boyfriend_. He really liked that guy. _Like_ liked him.

Nico bit his lip, trying not to laugh out loud when Jason told them another anecdote of Leo training his Leonberger to pick up meals from McDonald’s so he wouldn’t have to leave the shop or the time when he tried to hide the the giant dog in his suitcase when they went to Disney World. But then Jason started to talk about free climbing and all Nico could do was to stuff his mouth with bread in a futile attempt not to think of Jason’s broad back, glistening with sweat while the muscles under his skin moved and coiled and he really needed more bread.

Hazel saved him from chocking by asking all of them to sit on one side of the table, so she could take a picture. Naturally, all of them took a turn taking pictures until Jason – stupid, loveable Jason – hugged all three of them close to take the most dorky selfie ever, smiling brighter than the Christmas tree. And Nico was happy too. He really was. Christmas dinner was great. Jason was great.

Eventually, both, Hazel and Bianca started to clean up, giving them amused looks and shooing them off to Nico’s room. Nico let himself fall on his bed, he was content; good food, good company, mostly Jason. Just Jason sitting next to him, their thighs touching. He closed his eyes and threw an arm over his face to hide his ridiculous blush. They weren’t going out for long, but they were best friends and all should’ve been so awkward. But it wasn’t. It just wasn’t and he was pretty sure he should thank Jason for that. For being here on this day, for not making him choose between his siblings and his boyfriend, for being this wonderful person, for trying to be a part of Nico’s life, for … for being Jason.

“It’s, um, it’s not much I know.”

Nico peeked out from behind his elbow, blinking at his boyfriend who fiddled with his backpack and didn’t meet his eyes. Jason’s fingers were touching the zipper as if unsure he should open it or not.

“It’s more than enough, Jason.” Nico sat up smiling. “This is” He looked at the ceiling blinking a few times before turning back to Jason again. “I don’t even have words for it. This is – Can you just. Can I,” he stuttered and finally, Jason looked at him, though now Nico wouldn’t meet his gaze. “We. And next Christmas. You know? Can we do this again?”

“Definitely,” Jason replied without missing a beat, surprising both of them. “I, just, um.” He laughed, pulling the zipper of his backpack open. “I was talking about this.”

Nico was handed a thin present, wrapped in bright paper and strangely light. Jason sat the backpack down on the floor again, watching Nico’s reaction and nudging his knee. “You can open it, you know?”

Nico shoved his shoulder and shook his head. He was still smiling, but Jason still was incredible and ridiculous and really, really sweet. For Nico, it was pretty easy to guess what was inside the reindeer-covered paper, but he still opened it curiously, revealing a very old, beat-up issue of _Deadpool_ in an appropriate plastic sleeve.

“Thalia gave that to me on my seventh birthday,” Jason explained. Thalia was his late sister, the one person Jason missed most in his life, the person he idolized and loved and who shaped him more than anyone else. Nico hadn’t known her personally, but he knew this wasn’t just any comic; this was a comic given to Jason by the most important person in his life. And now he was giving that comic to him. To Nico. He gulped, his mouth suddenly dry and his hands shaking. He _really_ liked Jason.

“What kind of seven-year-old reads _Deadpool_?” he asked jokingly, blinking hard to keep his eyes from doing something really stupid.

Jason seemed to get it though. He smiled back leaning just a little closer, his eyes full of that warmth and fondness they always held when looking at Nico. “The kind of seven-year-old that gets the best boyfriend ever when he’s older.”

Nico laughed. “You sap!”

“Guilty as charged.” Jason grinned hugging Nico and squeezing his shoulder.

Nico sighed and stared at the book in his hands. “I really should’ve given you your present first,” he mumbled, but Jason was close enough to hear. “It’s not even half as good as this.” Nico ran his fingers carefully over the plastic sleeve that protected the old comic from even more damage than young Jason had already done.

“So what do I get?”

“Gloves.”

Well that hadn’t been what Jason had expected. Not that he had thought he’d get something big or expensive, but he’d really hoped Nico would at least give him the satisfaction of actually tearing some paper before he knew what his boyfriend had gotten him.

Nico cringed. Of course it had been a bad idea. He’d wanted to do something special for Jason and now it turned out it was Jason who had really outdone himself to make Nico happy. It hurt seeing the disappointment on Jason’s face, though he only let it shine through his chipper demeanour for a moment.

“Oh, but that’s great,” he lied obviously. Gloves weren’t great.

Nico laid the comic carefully on the bed, shrugged the arm around his shoulder off and crouched down to reach under his bed where he kept his wool and needles. He pulled the box out and dug through the balls for the pair of gloves he’d finished just two days ago. They were simple, dark blue merino wool with two silver buttons at each cuff. Nothing fancy, nothing difficult, just a dumb pair of gloves. The hardest part had been measuring Jason’s hands without him noticing and now that they lay in the hands they belonged on, Nico wasn’t so sure he’d gotten them right anymore.

“Nico.” Jason sounded breathless. “Nico, please look at me.” And there definitely was a smile in his voice. Reluctantly, Nico raised his head, expecting Jason to laugh at him, but what he saw was nothing but plain happiness, mixed with a tiny drop of curiosity maybe. “You’re knitting.”

“Well, duh.” It was pretty obvious now, wasn’t it? Nico sat back on the bed; not touching Jason but not looking away from him either.

Jason shook his head incredulously. “You never cease to amaze me,” he beamed “Nico, this is so cool.”

“Wait, what?”

“I didn’t know you could knit. Honestly, they’re cool and look.” He raised his left hand, and smiled. “They fit. Normally, at least one finger is too short for me, but these… How did you do that?”

Nico had to blink a few times before he understood that Jason wasn’t actually lying or making fun of him. He was actually interested in how he measured his hands and he actually… Jason liked his present?

“Can I kiss you?”

Jason looked up, his hands now both wrapped in blue merino wool. He looked so dumb, so happy and Nico really, really wanted to kiss him. They moved simultaneously, scooting toward one another and bunching up the sheets carelessly. It felt perfect. It was Christmas and it felt perfect and Jason was kissing him and he really, really liked him. Soft merino wool ran along his neck, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss and Nico stopped thinking. He let himself just enjoy this, because it was Christmas and it was perfect and Jason was kissing him. And he really, really loved Jason.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> I had to re-write this a few times, and this is the final version that deviates a little from the original prompt. Still, I really hope you enjoyed it <3


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